China's Maternity & Baby Market Reaches CN¥ 223.78 Billion Online: Key Growth Drivers and Competitive Landscape in 2025
By Jessie Wang
4 min read
The Bottom Line#
China's maternity and baby online market reached CN¥ 223.78 billion in 2025, growing 12.6% year-on-year (YoY), nearly three times the overall market growth rate of +4.5%. We believe this acceleration reflects a structural shift toward digital channels. Online channel share expanded from 35.1% in 2023 to 46.1% in 2025, a gain of 11 percentage points in two years. At that pace, we expect e-commerce to overtake offline retail in this category within two to three years.
For brands and investors, the growth of the maternity and baby sector rests on rising spending per child and on a widening range of categories, among which maternal health has emerged as a high-growth segment. Annual spending per child aged 0-3 rose to CN¥ 48,000 in 2025 and is projected to reach CN¥ 72,000 by 2030[1].
Market Overview: Steady Growth with Clear Seasonal Patterns#
Monthly revenue stayed above CN¥ 15 billion throughout 2025, with two distinct demand peaks. May (CN¥ 20.96 billion) reflects mid-year promotional activity, while October (CN¥ 24.08 billion) was the annual high, driven by Double 11 pre-sale activity and by autumn and winter demand for health products.
Average selling price (ASP) moved between CN¥ 74.31 and CN¥ 103.16 during the year. The October ASP peak reflects premium product launches during promotional windows. The December low of CN¥ 74.31 came in the month with the year's highest sales volume, 250.6 million units, which points to replenishment buying of everyday essentials such as diapers and basic formula.
This seasonality has clear consequences for how brands plan their range. Premium products and bundles should anchor the September to November window, when consumers show the highest willingness to pay. Value-oriented formats and volume packs suit the January to April and July to August periods, when price sensitivity increases.
Formula Leads on Scale, Nutrition on Growth#
The maternity and baby market spans 18 distinct product categories, which fall into two groups: large established categories that provide scale, and smaller nutrition categories that grow fastest.
Infant formula, baby products and diapers are the largest categories, and together they account for over 55% of total market revenue, which gives the market a stable foundation. The nutrition segments grow fastest: maternal nutrition is the fastest-growing major category, and the smaller maternity and baby travel category grew 32.0% to CN¥ 1.69 billion.
| Category | Sales Revenue (CN¥B) | YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Infant Formula | 50.93 | +18.1% |
| Baby Products | 37.53 | +8.5% |
| Baby Diapers | 35.31 | +4.4% |
| Baby Toiletries | 22.83 | +21.0% |
| Maternity & Baby Furniture | 21.97 | +19.0% |
| Baby Nutrition Products | 15.62 | +27.5% |
| Maternal Nutrition | 4.13 | +37.6% |
Source: Moojing Market Intelligence
The most notable development is the move from "baby first" to "mother and baby equally important." Combined sales of baby nutrition and maternal nutrition reached CN¥ 19.75 billion, growing 29.5% YoY, which reflects rising health consciousness among young parents.
The Channel Shift Toward Online#
Three factors lie behind the rise in online share:
- Digital-native parents: Millennial and Gen Z parents increasingly research and buy online
- Categories suited to subscription: formula, diapers and supplements lend themselves to auto-replenishment models
- Trust built on social platforms: Xiaohongshu (小红书) and Douyin (抖音) have become important channels for building trust with parents[2]
Competitive Dynamics: Brands Divide by Price Tier#
The prenatal nutrition market shows how brands in the wider category divide by price tier. Elevit (爱乐维), part of Germany's Bayer Group, positions itself at the premium end, with products priced above CN¥ 400 and a product matrix built around each stage of pregnancy. We believe its approach shows that precise positioning by life stage is one route to growth in the premium tier.
Mass-market brands compete in the volume-driven mid-tier and below it: Gao Ji Xing concentrates on products priced under CN¥ 300, while EIABAO, D-Cal and Bio Island concentrate on products below CN¥ 200.
What This Means for Brands and Investors#
- Invest in maternal nutrition innovation: prenatal and postnatal supplements are among the fastest-growing segments
- Build online-first distribution: online share of the category rose by 11 percentage points between 2023 and 2025
- Use social proof: physician endorsements and advocacy from parenting communities have helped build brand credibility in prenatal nutrition
- Plan for growth driven by spending per child: the market expands as families spend more on each child
Download Full Report#
Get the complete analysis with category trends, brand rankings, ingredient innovation, and consumer decision drivers.
This article is based on data from Moojing Market Intelligence (魔镜洞察). For methodology details and data sources, please refer to the full report.
Contact: info@moojing-global.com
[1] Projection based on Moojing Market Intelligence analysis; China Maternity & Baby E-commerce Industry Report.
[2] Social media discussion data sourced from Moojing Market Intelligence social listening platform.
This content adheres to Moojing's editorial standards .
Frequently Asked Questions
CN¥ 223.78 billion in 2025, growing 12.6% year on year, nearly three times the overall market's 4.5%. We read that gap as evidence of a shift toward online channels, since the online share of the category went from 35.1% in 2023 to 46.1% in 2025, an 11 percentage point gain in two years, which puts e-commerce on course to pass offline retail within two to three years. Rising spending per child adds to it, as annual spending on a child aged 0-3 reached CN¥ 48,000 in 2025 and is projected to reach CN¥ 72,000 by 2030.
Scale and growth sit in different categories. Scale sits in infant formula at CN¥ 50.93 billion (+18.1%), baby products at CN¥ 37.53 billion (+8.5%) and diapers at CN¥ 35.31 billion (+4.4%), which together make up over 55% of market revenue and give it a stable foundation. Growth sits in nutrition: maternal nutrition is the fastest-growing major category at CN¥ 4.13 billion (+37.6%), baby nutrition at CN¥ 15.62 billion (+27.5%) and maternity and baby travel at CN¥ 1.69 billion (+32.0%). Baby toiletries (+21.0%) and furniture (+19.0%) sit in between on both measures.
A move away from a market that treated the mother as the buyer and the baby as the only consumer. Combined sales of baby nutrition and maternal nutrition reached CN¥ 19.75 billion at +29.5%, and maternal nutrition on its own is the fastest-growing major category in the market. We believe that reflects rising health consciousness among younger parents. For a brand it opens a second addressable buyer inside an existing customer relationship.
Two peaks and two troughs, and they call for different products. Monthly revenue sits above CN¥ 15 billion all year with peaks in May at CN¥ 20.96 billion and October at CN¥ 24.08 billion, the annual high. Average selling price moves between CN¥ 74.31 and CN¥ 103.16, and both ends are informative: the October peak reflects premium launches during promotional windows, while December's CN¥ 74.31 low arrives despite the year's highest volume at 250.6 million units, which points to replenishment buying of diapers and basic formula. So premium SKUs and bundles should anchor September to November, and value formats and volume packs should carry January to April and July to August.
